WEEK 2 (12/24-12/28)

This week the interns count is down to two, including myself and one other. The last remaining intern will complete her term at NBC next Monday, leaving me, the lone intern for The Today Show. Knowing this, I am working doubly hard to soak up all the information I can. Thereby, allowing myself to become as prepared as possible for a full take-over of all intern responsibilities. Intern tasks include the upkeep of: mail, phones, faxes, deliveries, office supplies, and other office maintenance. I am also responsible for completing dub requests, which may be issued by any of the eighty plus producers. The same goes for logging tapes, ingesting, etc.

I received my first segment assignment this week, as well. This particular segment airs every Friday during the ten o’clock hour, and is titled ‘Ambush Makeover’. NBC sent a car across the river to my house in Jersey, so I could safely arrive at Rockefeller Plaza around 6:30 AM. My job is to assist the producer in getting the segment on air, basically helping out wherever help is needed. It usually takes place in the plaza, where around 7AM we begin by choosing two women who appear most deserving of a fabulous makeover. Louis Licari is in charge of hair, and as I’ve heard, he is the ‘Color King’ of New York City; and he is teamed up with US Weekly’s Jill Martin, the clothing stylist. After the women have been selected from the crowd, it is my job to get to know them a little bit: where they’re from, why they’re here, what they do, etc. This gives Hoda Kotb some talking points for on-air.

From this point, I assist in escorting the selected women to wherever they need to be throughout their makeover process. I may do some runs for the wardrobe staff if they need any extra items from local retailers, help the producer prepare Hoda’s cue cards, and transport the women and their belongings to the studio for air. Then, of course, I watch the segment live.

Afterwards, I assist the producer with any additional help she may need wrapping up; such as getting the contestants’ contact information so I can mail them DVD copies of the segment.

Although helping with a segment may be stressful, and involves a lot of running around, it is definitely my favorite portion of the internship thus far. I hope to work on a variety of different stories during my time spent here. Being in close proximity to the show’s hosts and correspondents isn’t such a bad idea either, considering the potential of obtaining the ultimate contact.